This invention relates to the production of an instantly reconstitutable dried bean powder which, upon the addition of water, forms a refried bean product of excellent and uniform quality. More particularly the invention relates to a continuous process for producing a dried bean powder containing bean particulate matter which upon rehydration with water instantly reconstitutes to form a product having the characteristic flavor, texture and color of conventional refried beans.
Refried beans are enjoying increasing popularity as adjuncts to Mexican-style foods, particularly in the food service industry, such as restaurants and fast food outlets which specialize in Mexican-style meals. At present such food service establishments usually either prepare refried beans from whole beans on a batch basis at their individual establishment or use commericaly prepared, canned refried beans. Such conventional sources of refried beans give rise to a number of problems which make their use disadvantageous in the food service industry. For example, the batch preparation of refried beans at the eating establishment is a long, expensive, labor intensive procedure which involves the steps of manually cleaning the whole beans, soaking and cooking the beans for long periods of time, mashing the beans to the proper consistency, and adding the correct amount of flavorings and seasonings. Since the refried beans must often be prepared by persons having little or no culinary skill, it is difficult to maintain the consistency of product characteristics from day to day. Moreover, the characteristics of refried beans prepared at one establishment may vary considerably from those of the product prepared at another establishment. Such lack of uniformity of product characteristics is particularly disadvantageous in a multi-outlet chain of fast food outlets which strive for product uniformity throughout the chain.
The use of canned refried beans is not only expensive, but requires the storage and handling of a large number of bulky cans.
Attempts have been made heretofore to market a dried bean powder which may be rehydrated to form refried beans. However, such prior attempts have not been entirely successful. For example, one commercially available product, which consists of raw ground bean powder and dried whole beans, must be cooked at least 2 hours and yields a product uncharacteristic of conventional refried beans. Other precooked bean powders upon being reconstituted yeild a smooth creamy puree which lacks the bean particulate matter characteristic of conventional refried beans.